I eat fairly low carb, and the carbs I do eat usually come from veggies and a lot of beans. I LOVE BEANS!

This recipe is a great vegetarian dish for when you’re tired of meat or just want something a little different. It gives a very soft patty, but it holds together well when fried in a small amount of oil and they firm up slightly as they rest.

The sauce is fantastic – make it ahead to let the flavors meld. I use it as salad dressing, over burgers, slathered on thick tomato slices, smeared onto thin-sliced deli meats and rolled up for a quick lunch. ..so good!

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Falafel:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried parsley

2 cloves garlic, chopped

One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) OR Cannellini , drained

1 egg

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano

Dash cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon flour

Oil for frying or nonstick vegetable spray

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In food processor place onion, parsley, and garlic. Pulse until finely minced. Add drained chickpeas and pulse just until they are mashed, but not a paste You want very small chunks of beans. (You could also press the garlic, grate the onion, and mash the chickpeas with a fork, if you don’t have a food processor.)

Transfer to a bowl and mix in the egg, cumin, cilantro, salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne, lemon juice, baking powder, bread crumbs, and flour. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to allow the crumbs to soak up the liquids and the patties will hold together better.

Heat a small amount of oil in a nonstick frying pan, or spray with nonstick spray. Heat pan over medium-low. Form patties from 1/8 cup of falafel mixture. These are soft so keep them more rounded, as they will flatten slightly when turned. Fry patties until golden brown on each side. Serve with Tzatziki sauce. Makes about 14 patties.

In a small mixing bowl blend together the yogurt, sour cream, grated cucumber, garlic powder, sugar, dill weed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill. This is best if made a couple hours in advance.